According to Director of Public Relations and Information Nigerian Air Force Air Vice Marshal Edward Gabkwet, this commitment was made during a meeting held at General El-Gawad’s office in Cairo, Egypt.
Both leaders highlighted the historical training relationship between their air forces, noting that around 50 Nigerian pilots have previously been trained by the Egyptian Air Force (EAF).
They agreed to further leverage this partnership, with the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) seeking expanded training opportunities. In the realm of R&D, discussions centered on Nigeria’s Alpha jets, with the EAF committing to send a delegation to Nigeria to assess the jets and explore joint overhaul efforts with NAF engineers.
The delegation will also evaluate the potential for in-house tactical training to enhance NAF pilots’ skills.
Air Marshal Abubakar’s visit also included attendance at the Egypt International Air Show at El-Alamein International Airport, where he engaged with Aero Vodochody Aerospace, the Czech manufacturer of the L-39NG aircraft used by the NAF, as well as CATIC, makers of the Wing Loong Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, and Ariegsa, an Egyptian defense solutions company known for producing aircraft simulators. Following discussions, the NAF signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Ariegsa to develop simulators for each aircraft type in the NAF’s fleet.
These simulators will be constructed in Nigeria in collaboration with NAF engineers to promote knowledge transfer.
Air Marshal Abubakar was accompanied by Air Vice Marshal Ahmed Idris, Director of Training, and Air Commodore Adebayo Bamidele, Commander of the 301 Heavy Airlift Group.
